Elements Series: Book One: Air
by Jasmin Kenobi
Summary: *Shhh! Spoilers ahead, sweetie!* A peaceful afternoon is shattered when a bomb explodes on Bajor. As Kira Nerys and the crew of Deep Space Nine teams up with their returned former CO, Captain Benjamin Sisko, darker forces are at work. Torchwood carefully plays a deadly shadow game that could play a major hand in the fate of the galaxy and of the space-time continuum.
1. Chapter 1

It was a relatively calm afternoon on Bajor. People went about their business and stores laid out their wares. First Minister Shakaar Edan looked out of the window in his office. Kira Nerys sat on the far side of his desk, watching him carefully.

"So Captain Sisko is safe?" he asked.

"Yes. Although, he did request that I politely inform you that he's unavailable for now," Kira answered.

"I heard that his wife gave birth to a daughter. How is she?"

"Well, Kasidy and Captain Sisko are quite proud of Rebecca."

Shakaar turned away from the window to look at Kira. She looked him in the eye easily.

"Very well. I will inform the Vedek Assembly that-"

The room shook as an explosion lit up the horizon. Kira was already talking to Deep Space Nine before the room stopped shaking.

"Stay here!" she ordered as she ran out of his office.

He cracked a small smile, "Where would I go?"

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Jason Matthews looked into his binoculars. The damage to the government center was catastrophic. His mind was filled with the pain of the wounded, thanks to his Betazoid heritage.

Next to him, Christine Vale took pictures and notes of the damage. They watched Doctor Martha Jones move through the wounded, tending to injuries. Mickey Smith carefully kept an eye on her, making sure that she went unharmed.

Kira Nerys jogged up behind them and stopped.

"What've you got?" she asked.

Vale was the one who answered, "It looks pretty consistent with Grade 9 explosives."

"Who the hell uses Grade 9 on a simple government building?" Kira asked, shocked.

Matthews shrugged, "Terrorists or rogue military officers. This should be fun."

Kira scoffed, "You and I have a very different idea of 'fun', Crewman."

With that, she scowled and walked away briskly, surveying the damage as she went.

Vale nodded slightly, "Call it in. We've got a big problem here."

"Aye, ma'am," Matthews replied before pulling out his pocket communicator and sending a transmission to Earth.

"Foxtrot-One to Alpha-One, come in Alpha-One. Confirmed charlie-foxtrot on Prophecy World. Supported by Charlie-One. Request further support."

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Admiral Tomalak watched as Major Syrath shoved a pair of booted feet off the desk, causing a thud and a curse.

Commander Donatra sat up, a grease stain on her face.

"Was tha' neces'ry? I was fixin' a bloody panel down 'ere! More faul'y wirin'," she said, a scowl on her face.

Syrath shrugged.

"Would you mind speaking like a civilized person?" Tomalak asked.

"Nope!" she replied, popping the "p".

Tomalak was about to reply when Uhlan Vila stuck her head into the small office.

"Message from Alpha-One, Commander!" she said.

"Patch it through," Donatra ordered, her odd manner gone.

The face of a human man appeared on a small screen set into the wall. He had shaggy brown hair and bright hazel eyes.

"Hello. How's the new rock?" he greeted Donatra.

"Irritating. At least the Vashta Nerada are nice here. Already ate two of Hiren's spies," she replied, "Jack, what's the sit-rep?"

"Bad. Bombing on the Prophecy World, Grade 9, support needed," Jack said, "Who can you spare?"

"Delta and Gamma. Unless you want a non-com," she replied. Tomalak watched as Jack nodded and tapped a few keys on his side.

"Sounds good. Alpha-One out."

Donatra stood and walked over to a collection of screens on the wall behind her.

"Mister Smith? Could you retask Delta-Three and Gamma-Three to Prophecy World, please?"

"Of course," the AI system replied," It is done."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Decurion Myras tapped Subcommander Soleta on the shoulder, causing her to look up.

"We've been deployed to Bajor," he said bluntly. The half-breed nodded and stood up from her seat.

"Let's go," she said. He led her to the arms and supply depot near the shuttle bay first.

They were greeted by a jittery uhlan who'd had far too many raktajinos that morning.

"Hi! You'll need weapons, I guess, huh?" he said quickly, "I love weapons and explosives and-"

"That's enough!" Myras snapped, "Basic kit, please."

"Here ya go!" the uhlan replied, shoving bundles into their arms and sending them on their way. Myras led Soleta to the camo depot next to pick up some Bajoran garb and holo-emitters.

Finally, he led her to the shuttle bay, where they boarded a Federation style civilian ship that happened to carry a few extras on it.

He took the controls and piloted them on a course to Bajor. Silence descended upon the cockpit until Soleta spoke up.

"Want some?" she asked, holding up a bottle of unidentified liquid.

"No," he replied.

"It's not poison."

"No."

"It's jungle-juice. Homemade alcohol."

"No."

"It's free and I'm trying to get rid of it."

"No."

"It's-"

His temper flared," I do believe I said 'no' several times!"

She lapsed into silence before pouring herself a glass and knocking it back in one swig.

"Spit it out," she said a few moments later.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"You have a problem with me," she replied easily.

"What makes you say that?" he responded, knowing full well that he had a problem with her.

"You failed my test," she said shortly," Drink?"

Irritated, he spun to face her, grabbed the bottle, and disposed of it.

Soleta sighed, "Oh well. There's more where that came from."

Myras used the transporter to get rid of those too.

Soleta swore softly, "Okay. It's going to be a long trip."

With that, she leaned back in her seat and promptly fell asleep, leaving a bewildered Myras alone in the silence of the cockpit.

**AN- So here's the start of another new story. I should really stop with the fandom addictions and stick to a couple for now. So, I know that you guys are noticing a lot of OCs here. Don't worry, I'll have a sort-of story up soon that has profiles for the OCs that you guys want to know more about. So, just PM me or review if you want to know more about an OC or a canon character that you haven't heard of before. Allons-y! **


	2. Chapter 2

Jack Harkness glanced over at the slightly hammered Klingon nearby. Worf was brooding over something.

"Wanna talk about it?" he asked. Worf looked up from his seventh bottle of Tennessee whiskey.

"About what?" he asked.

"Whatever's on your mind."

"No."

Ianto Jones made his way over, holding a bottle of rum and four glasses. Jack noticed the fourth glass.

"Who's joining us?" he asked. Even as he spoke, he noticed the Irish man behind Ianto.

"Hi. Chief Miles O'Brien. I teach at the Academy," the newcomer said, "Hope you don't mind."

"Not at all!" Jack said, "The more, the merrier."

"Right. Well, have you heard the latest from Bajor?" O'Brien asked, holding up a data tablet.

"Yes, actually. A couple of my people work there. I just sent two more," Jack replied. Worf looked up again.

"The bombing," he stated.

"Yea. Awful business, that," Ianto replied, "47 dead, 102 injured. Still almost 50 people missing."

O'Brien nodded, "Kira was just telling me that a pair of Bajoran civilians turned up to help, apparently the first. Nobody wants to go near the place right now. This whole thing reminds me of the Circle business a while back."

"Well, let's just hope more civilians turn up to help. Damned shameful thing to leave people to die."

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Lieutenant Ro Laren glanced over at Lieutenant Ezri Dax. The Trill counselor held a tablet close to her, gazing over it at Ro, who stared at the board between them.

"4-D chess? Who's bright idea was this?" the Bajoran chief of security asked.

Dax smiled, "Lieutenant Harb Tanzer. He was in charge of the recreation department on the original _Enterprise_, the _NCC-1701_."

"He was an idiot."

"If a Romulan who'd never played chess before can learn it, you can. Come on, Ro, think!"

"I tried. It still doesn't make any sense. Who was this Romulan, anyway?"

"Um, Commander Ael t'Rllaillieu of the _ChR Bloodwing_," Ezri replied, "Here, let me help."

She reached forward and moved one of the queens up a level. Ro narrowed her eyes and watched as she timed out three pieces after that.

"Why did you time those pieces out?" she asked. Dax was about to reply when a shadow fell over the board. Commander Elias Vaughn stood over them.

"Hello, Commander Vaughn. Care to help?" Dax said, gesturing to Ro, who glared at her.

"Not this time, Lieutenants. Have you seen Major Kira around?" the first officer asked.

"I thought she went down to Bajor to check out the bomb site?" Ro said.

"She beamed back an hour ago, but never checked in. The computer doesn't know where she is," Vaughn replied. Ro and Dax stood together, abandoning the board to get back to duty.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Kira Nerys heard the quiet argument before she saw it. Someone's back was to her, a woman, judging from the long hair.

"They're searching for her! You shouldn't have done that!" she snapped at her companion.

"She is awake now. We need to talk to her. Remember who's in charge here, half-breed," he replied.

Kira looked up at a rather burly Romulan man. The woman next to him looked Vulcan, but acted Romulan. Curious. That was probably what he meant when he called her "half-breed".

"Hello, Major Kira. Before you yell for help, would you hear us out?" he asked, "I'm Decurion Myras, Delta; and this is Subcommander Soleta, Gamma. We're with Torchwood Three. Alpha sends her greetings."

"What do you want?" she demanded. Soleta remained silent, but Myras answered.

"The bombing. A pair of Torchwood One agents found out that it was Grade 9 explosives. Because no one knows who would do this, we were sent in as back-up."

Kira cleared her throat and looked behind the pair, "Truth?"

"Yes, Major," a voice said from behind the two agents. Taran'atar stood behind them, arms folded. Myras backpedaled, but Soleta stared.

"What are you?" she asked.

"I am a Jem'Hadar soldier. How do you not know?" he replied, holding a rather deadly-looking short sword in his right hand.

"I was on the _Excalibur_," she said by way of explanation.

"I have never heard of that ship."

Kira chimed in as she stood up, "They disappeared just before the war started. You were there for the Gateways deal. Lieutenant Soleta, right?"

That earned her a scathing glare, "I was a Lieutenant. Then it became known that I was-"

"Half-Romulan," Kira finished. Myras still stared as Taran'atar with fear written plainly on his face.

Elias Vaughn, Ro Laren, and Ezri Dax ran up at that moment. Soleta blinked and spoke quickly.

"_Bhiyy_!" she called out. She and Myras disappeared in a haze of transporter particles.

"Major?" Vaughn asked.

"Let them be. They're Torchwood. Find me the agents we have here. Check Vale and Matthews first," she ordered.

"Yes sir," Dax and Ro replied before heading out, followed by Taran'atar. Vaughn stayed behind.

"Who sent them?" he asked.

"Torchwood Three. I think we can trust the woman, but I'm not sure about the man."

"What does '_bhiyy_' mean?" Vaughn wondered aloud.

"I'm not sure. Check it out, would you?"

"Of course, Major."

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Commander Liviana stood before the Senate. She felt their glares on her back, but ignored them. Praetor Hiren watched her carefully, probably to gauge her reaction to his words.

"You betrayed the Empire," he said bluntly.

She lifted an eyebrow, keeping true to her Vulcan heritage, "How?"

"You lied about your heritage when you joined the Imperial Fleet. You are a spy."

"Allow me to tell you a bit about myself. My parents, my birth parents, dumped me on someone's doorstep when I was two months old. I was lucky to survive that night. I never lied about my heritage. I was asked if I was part Vulcan and I replied yes, I was. The tiny fraction of me that is human never came into play. I am loyal to the Empire, and always will be," she replied, keeping her upright posture.

"You lie," a Senator said from somewhere behind her.

Liviana spun, "You first call me a traitor, but when I confirm my loyalty to the Empire, you call me a liar! What next will you throw at me in a pathetic attempt to wound my pride?"

Hiren glared at her, "Your service to the Empire is no longer needed. From here on, you are stripped of rank, title, and honors. You will not set foot on Romulus or Remus again. Dismissed."

Liviana kept a straight face as she performed a crisp, old-style salute and spun to exit. Her oldest friend waited for her.

"You've been exiled," Sela said matter-of-factly.

Liviana nodded, "Yes. I think it's about time I met my birth parents."

"Okay," Sela said after a minute, "Well, I suppose I'll see you around."

"You will. Don't you worry about a thing. I'll be back. Besides, you've got my comm number. Just give me a call if you want to talk about anything."

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Melody Pond, better known as Doctor River Song, paced the confines of her cell in the Stormcage Prison Facility. The woman watching her was calm and collected.

Aliana waited patiently for River to speak.

River sighed, "Fine, I'll help you. First, I'll need to be out of here."

"Done," Aliana said, holding up the keys to River's cell.

"Okay," she continued, "I'll also need a phone or communications device, a gun, and transportation."

Aliana held up a cell phone, a Starfleet 23rd century phaser, and a vortex manipulator.

"You are good," River said, "Now if you would be so kind?"

Aliana unlocked the cell door and handed River the gear.

"Thank you, dear. Now, I really should be going. I have a Time-Lord to find."

Aliana watched as River disappeared before pulling out a communicator.

"Hello Captain Picard. You may not remember me, but my name is Aliana. We've met before. I think you should expect a visit from a colleague of mine soon. Perhaps we can meet again soon, face-to-face. Good luck."

She ended the message, sent it, and destroyed the communicator before leaving.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Jean-Luc Picard listened to the stranger's message for the third time as Data ran her voice through a recognition program.

"Well?" he asked. Data cocked his head to the side.

"Captain, there are some masking filters in place. However, when I remove them," he paused there, "Her voice is a 99.99% match for the voiceprint files of Lieutenant Natasha Yar."

Deanna Troi sucked in a breath, "She's dead."

"Then who is using her voice to send this message and what the hell kind of sick, twisted person are they?" Beverly Crusher demanded.

Picard thought about it for a minute before turning to Data, "Mister Data, send a reply message by any means possible. I'd like to request a meeting with Aliana. Mister Worf, prepare the necessary security measures. Beverly, Deanna, make sure that no one else knows about this. I don't know what this person is capable of. Geordi, Will, try to find any Torchwood agents you know. Ask them- Are you all right, Mister LaForge?"

Geordi's face had darkened at the mention of the shadowy organization.

"Sorry, Captain. I only just learned that an old friend of mine recruited my older sister ten years ago. So, she can be our contact," he said, clearly struggling to keep his tone calm.

"Who: the old friend, or your sister?" Will joked.

"Both. Although you can talk to my old friend. I'm still mad at her," Geordi said.

"Give me a number, I'll call her up," Will said.

"Good. Dismissed," Picard ordered. When the others had left, Beverly remained behind.

"You're sure about Torchwood?" she asked, "I'd almost say that UNIT would be the better bet here. If you want, I can contact someone I know from the Academy."

"Hell, I'd almost rather try to contact the _Voyager_," Picard replied, thinking about his old friend Kathryn Janeway, captain of the missing ship, "But we have no real choice here. Picard to bridge."

"_Bridge, Ensign Faur here."_

"Ensign, take us to Deep Space Nine, maximum warp."

_"Course laid in, Captain."_

"Engage."

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Major Kira stared at the Starfleet captain in front of her. Jean-Luc Picard was either insane or possible a Founder. Why the hell else would he be talking about his dead former chief of security?

"You're insane," she said bluntly.

"Then explain the message I just received," he challenged.

"Tell you what," Kira said, "Let's get our senior staffs together for a little con-fab in Quark's at 1300 hours and we'll take a vote."

"If that's what you prefer," Picard said, keeping an infuriatingly straight face.

"Yes. Now, if you wouldn't mind sending Worf in to say hello. I'll need his help with something. Just make sure that Quark doesn't see him," Kira said. Picard nodded and left.

Kira sighed. It was official: living on this station was being handed hell in a hand basket.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Even as Will Riker walked into Quark's bar, he was surprised to see so many people there. Kira Nerys seemed a little uneasy with so many Starfleet officers hanging around, but that wasn't much of a surprise.

Deanna Troi wandered over and gave him a look.

"How many people do you think actually know what this is all about?" she asked.

"Less than half," Riker said with certainty. Lieutenant Nog, the station's chief engineer, waved them over.

Across from him sat Counselor Ezri Dax and Lieutenant Ro Laren.

"Dax, Ro," Deanna greeted them. Will purposely took the seat next to Ro, earning him a mock glare that seemed too tired to be fake.

"Hello, Commanders," Dax said, turning when someone called her name.

Julian Bashir stood a few meters behind her, his hand waving in the air.

"Sorry, Ro. You get to stick around with the senior officers!" Ezri said, turning and moving through the crowd to meet Julian.

"Well, look at this. It almost feels like old times," Geordi LaForge said, walking up behind Ro, who turned and glared at him.

After a few more minutes, it got to the point where it was only the senior crews of Deep Space Nine and the _Enterprise_ left in Quark's.

Kira stood up on the bar and whistled loudly to gain everyone's attention.

"Alright, everybody, settle down," she shouted over the noise.

The bar went dead silent.

"Thank you," she said, "Anyway, this is a high clearance level briefing. If you don't have a Level 6 Federation clearance level or above, get the hell out of here now. In other words, if you're not a full Lieutenant or above, leave and let us get on with this."

A pair of ensigns scowled as they left. The remaining crew looked at Kira expectantly.

"Okay, here's the deal, people. Two days ago, a bomb went off in a minor government building. 97 people are dead and 102 people have been injured. I have it on very good sources that the bomb was a Grade Nine military explosive, more commonly known as your typical Cardassian explosive," Kira began.

A pair of officers in the back were nodding silently.

"Yesterday, I got a visit from two Romulans. Now, before you say anything, I believe that we can trust them. They're still on the station, but that isn't the point. The point is, they work for Torchwood. More specifically, the as-yet-unknown Torchwood Three. This is the first ever encounter that any Federation personnel has had with any operatives from that branch, so our best hope is trusting them," she said.

"Why should we?" Riker asked, "For all we know, there is no Torchwood Three and it's just another plot by Tomalak!"

Deanna nodded next to him and Ro smirked a bit.

Another woman stood up on the bar, next to Kira.

"Hello. I'm Subcommander Soleta, of Torchwood Three. I used to hold the rank of Starfleet Lieutenant, aboard the _USS Excalibur_," she said. Soleta had long black hair and dark eyes. She wore simple Bajoran garb and had a communications device on a strap around her wrist, along with a holographic disguise matrix. Standing on the floor was another Romulan, this one a man with a dour face.

"Believe me when I say this, Commander Riker," Soleta continued, "Torchwood Three's director is friendly towards the Federation. Besides, Bajor isn't the only place that has been attacked. Several other worlds have suffered similar attacks. One world each for each of the local powers. This is bigger than the Federation."

Murmurs swept around the room. People shifted nervously and glanced around the room, as if looking for a threat.

"No," Soleta said, "This is a threat from outside the Federation, and the Romulan Empire, and even the Klingon Empire. This is terror on a whole new scale."

That was when all hell broke loose.

**AN- So how's that for a lovely cliffhanger? I really need to stop being so cruel to you people, none of you deserve that.**


End file.
